Friday, November 22, 2013

Many of you will be up next week for the Thanksgiving Holiday and I want you to know what to expect on the golf course. Weather providing, we will prep the course as best we can for play. That means we will mow greens and change cups. However, there are many projects going on that might limit your play.

Replacing the cross tie steps at the Driving Range with stone steps

We are very busy with replacing the cross tie wall at the gazebo on #15 with boulders. This is a slow project since we have to work around the gazebo and not damage it. We also have to place each rock in place by hand. Additionally we will be building a new parking area and adding new stone steps. Finally, we will finish it off with new landscaping.

BEFORE - cross tie wall at the gazebo

DURING - boulder wall at the gazebo

Steps and parking area at the gazebo will be replaced with stone

Another project that could limit some play is the dredging of the lakes. At this time we have finished dredging the lake on #9 and #5. We will be moving on to #11 and the small pond behind the tennis courts next week. While the dredging is going relatively quickly, it will take us some time to remove the material that has been taken out of the lakes. Some of the material will be used for projects while some of it will be hauled away. Once the material has been relocated, we will re-grade the areas and then put down sod.

Sediment build-up in #5 lake

Sediment removal from #5 lake

Because of rain this week, we have had to stop working on the drainage on hole #2. We will continue once it is dry enough to work effectively. The crew that was on #2 has started to take down dead trees throughout the course. Yes, we have taken down the dead hemlock on #16. We will split the wood from the trees we take down and use it heat our shop in the winter.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

As most of you know, we started working on hole #2 before we closed in October. The drainage work we are doing on #2 is actually a continuation of the work we did on hole #6 last year using the Turfdrain system. Turfdrain worked so well on hole #6 that we will be using it throughout the course in the future.

HFCC crew trenching 4' deep

Drain lines installed and awaiting additional sand

In addition to installing drainage on #2, we are also leveling the fairway. Over the years, the fairway has become exceptionally un-level. To remedy this problem, we plan on stripping approximately 80% of the fairway so that we can smooth out the "humps and bumps". When we finish this project sometime in December (weather permitting), the fairway will be smooth, dry and ready for play.

Smoothing out the first quarter of #2 fairway

Cutting and filling in depressions on #2 fairway

By doing both the drainage and leveling of the fairway at the same time, we create greater efficiencies than by doing each project separately. Additionally we end up with a much better hole than if we did one and not the other.

Golf Course Architect

"Gentleman" Joe Lee

Joe Lee was an amazing and modest man who showed little interest in promoting himself in his work. Instead, he built his career in golf architecture through word of mouth with hard work and dedication. Lee’s clients, his timeless designs, and the endless stream of satisfied golfers that play his courses each year are what brought fame and recognition to his craft. His courses are as much a work of art as architecture, featuring graceful landscapes and challenging holes while highlighting the natural beauty of the surrounding area. Over the course of a career spanning more than 50 years, Joe Lee designed and renovated over 200 golf courses. To this day Highlands Falls remains one of the most well preserved examples of his work.